Thill-support



(No Model.)

J. N. KINDRED. THILL SUPPORT.

No. 459.964. PatentedSept. 22, 1891.

FICJ- WITNEEEEE- I \IE THE. 452%;

ms maps PETERS 00., mofo-uruoJmsl-uucmy, o. c.

' mally in an extended position.

UNITED STATES PATENT FFIGE.

JOE NAPOLEON KINDRED, OF NEW CONCORD, KENTUCKY.

THlLL-SUPPO RT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 459,964, dated September 22, 1891.

Application filed April 15,1891. Serial No. 389,018. (No model-1 To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J OE NAPOLEON KIN- DRED, of New Concord, in the county of Calloway and State of Kentucky, have invented certain newan d useful Improvements in Shaft- Supporters; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use it, reference being had-to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in shaft-supporters; and it consists in a slotted upright which is adjustably secured to the front of the vehicle and a spring-actuated catch combined with a partially-revolving bent rod that isloosely attached to the crossbar of the shafts, as will be more fully described hereinafter.

The object of my invention is to provide a means for holding the shafts in a raised position, and thus keep them out of the way both while the horse is being backed into position and the vehicle is out of use.

Figure 1 is a perspective of a shaft-support which embodies my invention. Fig. 2 is a detail view. Fig. 3 shows a slight modification of Fig. 2.

A represents the body of a vehicle, to the front of which is secured a slotted upright B. The upper end of this upright is bent slightly outward and forward, so as to allow the spring C suflicient room to work behind it. In the upper end of the upright 13 is an open-ended slot D, in which the catch F is pivoted, and which catch is provided with a shoulder to limit the distance that it shall move downward. This shoulder strikes against the lower end of the slot D, and thus prevents the catch from dropping down below a certain point. The spring C bears against the inner end of the catch F and serves to hold the hook nor- The upright is secured to the front of the body of the vehicle by means of two bolts H, which are passed through the slot I in the upright, and by means of which bolts the upright can be vertically adjusted. In case the upright is to be used in connection with a vehicle having a low sloping front but one bolt will be used, and a plate J, having a slot in its outer end, will be secured to the bottom of the. vehicle, as shown in Fig. 3. The slotted end of the said plate is extended outward and the upright B passed down through the said slot, thus doing away with one of the securingbolts I-I, above described.

Loosely journaled upon the cross-bar L of the shaft is a partially-turning rod N, which has its inner end bent, as shown at O, and its outer end P turned upward. The bent inner end 0 comes just opposite to the catch F, so that when the shafts are raised this bent piece 0 will pass up over the catch, and thus support the shafts in a raised position. To the outer upturned end P is fastened a spring Q, which keeps the rod drawn backward, so as to cause the bent portion 0 to engage positively with the catch F. In order to operate this rod N from near the outer ends of the shafts, there is secured to the turned-up end P a wire or cord S, which extends forward and is fastened to one of the shafts near its outer end. By pulling upon this cord or wire S the rod N can be made to partially revolve, and thus lift the bent portion 0 from over the top of the catch F. By means of this construction the shafts are easily detached from their support and lowered over the horse after the latter has been backed into position. As the cord S extends to the front of the shaft, it is not necessary for the operator to leave the horses head to lower the shafts.

A device constructed as here shown is a great convenience in getting the horse in position to be attached to the vehicle, and it also serves to keep the shafts oif the ground and out of danger when the vehicle is standing still. 7

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. The slotted upright and a spring-actuated catch connected to its upper end, combined with a partially-turning rod placed upon the cross-bar of the shafts, and a spring that is connected to one end of the rod, substantially as described.

2. The vertically-adjustable upright and a spring-actuated catch connected to its upper end, combined with a rod that is loosely journaled upon the cross-bar of the shafts and which provided with the bend O at its inner end and an outwardly-turned end P at. its outer end, and a spring Q, which is fastened to the upturned end, substantially as set forth.

3. In a shaft-support, the upright having a forked upper end, a catch pivoted in said formed end and provided with a stop on its lower edge, a spring secured behind the upright and adapted to bear against the inner end of the catch, a partially-tnrning rod secured to the cross-bar of the shafts, a bend near the inner end of the rod, and a spring connected to the outer bent end of the said rod, whereby the catch automatically en gages the rod when the shafts are raised, the parts being combined to operate substantially as 

